Somnolence series: The Pool
by Sykira
Summary: The Doctor starts to teach Donna how to control the touch telepathy. Many thanks to time converges for the beta and endless kindness, and to louiecat68 for story ideas and inspiration ♥ Story also inspired by Tori Amos' The Pool


Some hours later Donna awoke thoroughly entangled in the Doctor's body. She didn't know what had woken her up, some nagging emptiness at the back of her mind, and she felt the Doctor's arms tighten around her as she burrowed deeper into him, trying to accommodate the dawning realization of what was gone: the other Doctor. Having him with them had just felt so right she couldn't remember existing without him, even though it had been only a matter of weeks.

_Alright?_ her Doctor asked sleepily and she nodded against his chest.

"Just gotta go to the bathroom," she mumbled and he reluctantly helped her extricate herself from his long arms and legs.

When she returned he pressed a glass of water into her hands then led her back to bed. They sat together on the edge of the mattress while she sipped the cold water and he traced slow patterns on her back.

"Where next?" she asked, expecting his usual bluster about all the places he wanted to show her.

"Back to bed," he replied simply.

Donna stretched and set her glass down on the bedside table. "I think I'm good," she said, "I don't need to go back to sleep."

"Donna," he said, gently, "yes, you do. Time Lord healing needs sleep, lots and lots of sleep. And right now your brain has been running on empty for so long, you need to give it an opportunity to heal itself."

"I was doing fine," she protested, half-heartedly.

He put his arm around her shoulder. "Yes, you were doing amazingly, but it's harder now isn't it?"

The backs of his fingers curled around to delicately stroke her cheek and she felt the last two words of that sentence in her mind.

_Without him._

She bit the inside of her cheek. "I didn't know it would feel like this, that it would be so…"

_lonely_

"…difficult."

"It will get easier," he whispered, drawing her closer as if he was afraid that she would leave too.

"Is this…I can't even imagine, Doctor, how you survived, how you kept going, when all the other Time Lords…"

He swallowed, and dropped his fingertips from her skin, but not before she felt the wave of desperate sadness and loss run through him.

There was a long silence while they both looked at the carpet. Then he turned to her and took her hand and without words she could name, she heard his answer. He hadn't survived, not entirely; part of him was gone and would never come back, wrenched away, leaving a void that nothing would ever fill.

"Not nothing," he whispered, rubbing his hand over hers.

But Donna knew he was just trying to make her feel better, that what solace he received from unfurling their minds together did not make up for the aching loss of his entire civilization, and she knew then she would always be missing a part of herself while the younger Doctor was lost to them.

Her lip trembled and she leaned into him. He laid her down on the bed again and curled his body around hers protectively, and despite herself, Donna felt exhaustion overtake her once more.

"So where are we off to today then?" Donna perched on the railing the next morning and watched him fiddle with buttons on the console.

"I'm taking you back to Earth, Donna Noble. Way back. I thought we might go to Japan. Well, not that there's anyone there to call it that, not back when we're going, or any other name, for that matter."

He flashed her a brilliant grin then moved quickly to catch her when she hopped down from the railing, just in time before the movement of the TARDIS could send her flying.

He didn't let her go as the TARDIS rocked around them and it took Donna a moment to mentally adjust to how it felt to have him embrace her like this, even though they were both in what she thought of as adventure mode, just about to head out the door to the unknown.

The intimacy of their shared sleep was one thing, and she had grown accustomed to it before they had began a relationship, but out here in the console room the most they usually managed was lingering hand holding after they had tumbled through the door, panting from running, or his slightly excessive attentions to keeping her upright when they were in flight that usually involved him holding her close or using his body to cushion her fall.

"Takes a bit of getting used to," he murmured, looking down at her, his eyes dark and unreadable.

She shrugged deceptively lightly. "Just never figured you for a public displays of affection kinda bloke, Doctor."

His lips quirked. "Well, we are all alone here now…" He let his words trail off and suddenly the console room seemed both empty and quiet as the Doctor bent his head and kissed her.

"Hmm, I think I could get used to this," she smiled up at him when he finally drew back. Blimey but he was an amazing kisser.

"Thank you!" he said, with an irrepressibly smug grin.

"Oi! You've got a big enough head as it is, Spaceman."

He stepped back and released her. "Yeah, well, that is why we're here… if you don't want me to get an even bigger head, you're going to need to learn how to hide from me just how amazing a lover you think I am." His eyes twinkled and he caught her hand as she tried to sock him in the arm.

"That's why we're here?" she echoed.

"Uh huh. C'mon, I'll show you." He tried to pull her towards the door but she resisted, her own eyes twinkling now.

"Which one?" she asked, smiling coyly.

"Which one what?" He bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet.

"Which one are you going to show me, the mind mojo or the amazing lover bit?"

He matched her grin. "Saucy little minx! You know we are here to start your training, mental discipline..."

His sentence trailed off as Donna stepped closer into his arms and snuck a hand around his lower back, trailing her fingers over the rise of his pert runner's buttocks, smiling when he coughed and straightened a little in surprise.

"Discipline, huh? Interesting. But what if I get too distracted by my teacher?" Her hand dropped lower and she watched with satisfaction as his eyes widened a little. She curled her other hand around the back of his neck and drew his face down to hers, pleased at the sensations of desire that were flowing through him, this close she could even see as his pupils dilated. Oh, this was so much fun, she had wanted to do this for ages, take him up on all those come hither expressions, show him she could match his shameless flirting move for move.

_Oh really?_ he spoke inside her head.

Donna gasped suddenly as his body, previously held taut in control, came to life under her kneading hands and she was thrust against the railing, his mouth coming over hers with hunger, and his hands were in her hair, tilting her face to his and holding her fast while his body undulated against hers. A bolt of arousal caused her stomach to drop and a low moan to escape her before she could stop herself.

She didn't know how long they stood there, lost in passion, hands and mouths exploring, her gasps and cries of pleasure getting louder before she finally broke away, panting.

Breathless himself, the Doctor's face was flushed, and lit up in a wide smile. Donna looked down at herself, and started to redo the buttons on her blouse with trembling fingers.

"Yeah, okay, Spaceman, you may have a point. Might want to teach me some mind mojo before we, uh, before you…"

"Get a big head?" he smirked at her and she tried to look serious for a moment before smiling back and batting away his hands when they tried to undo her fumbling at her buttons. He was irresistible. And if they kept going like this he'd be insufferable. He knew too much already, knew every butterfly in her tummy at the way he stroked her just so, knew exactly how much pressure to apply when nibbling her earlobe, where to dip his tongue to make her cheeks suffuse with heat… yeah, it was too much; she'd never hear the end of it if she didn't find a way to keep at least some of her thoughts to herself.

"Right then," she said, straightening her skirt and trying to at least feign composure. "Mind mojo time. Now, before I drag you back to bed!"

"Yes Ma'am," he said smartly and offered her his arm.

Arm in arm, Donna stepped out of the TARDIS into early morning mist and birdsong, breathing in the clean damp air.

"It's so… green."

He nodded. "Exactly the right shade for your mind to relax, actually. You'd be amazed what you're missing in more advanced human societies, stuck in towns and cities."

She reached up a hand to tidy up his mussed up hair, which was sticking every which way now. He smiled at her a little cheekily and his hair refused to be tamed.

They walked in silence through a thick forest glade, stepping reverently, Donna feeling very aware that they were the only humans here. She was awed by this place, the majestic green trees, the calls of birds and unnamed other woodland animals. She was grateful for the no humans part, she wasn't up for other people right now, she felt she was finally relaxing for the first time in weeks.

"No people?" she asked and he nodded in confirmation. "Just you and me."

She nodded too, looking away.

"This is closer to how it should be for you, once you become a Time Lady, some separate time apart from people, just nature. Your mind needs the quiet, to adjust. It's only in a liminal place like this that you can begin to grasp some semblance of control.

"I'm not sure how," she admitted quietly and felt his arm tighten on hers. Their footsteps slowed in front of a deep green pool that extended out over a cliff, the water disappearing over the edge into nothingness with a distant rushing sound that somehow didn't break the peaceful silence of the pool itself.

"I will help you, Donna, don't be afraid. We won't stay long, you let me know when it gets too tiring, or overwhelming, and when it's over, we'll go back."

He let her go then and stepped to the water's edge. She watched him, unexpected nerves rippling through her and causing her tummy to clench a little. He turned back and smiled reassuringly, then held out his hands, palms open.

"Come look in the water with me, Donna."

Taking a deep breath, she approached him and he took her hands. Moving her into his arms, he braced himself behind her and together they stared down into the dark green depths.

Her body trembled all over from tiredness when he led her back to bed that night.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," she joked, "we've barely even been awake half a day. And all we did was sit in a forest!"

"I told you," he replied gently, dimming the lights in the room. "It may be repressed and locked away from your consciousness, but your Time Lord mind is still there, Donna, and it needs healing sleep right now."

As he spoke he undressed her and Donna didn't even have the energy to feel shy in front of him as he peeled off her clothes down to her t-shirt and underwear then half-led, half-carried her into bed. He disappeared into her bathroom and she closed her eyes, hovering on the edge of sleep but still unwilling to give in to it without him.

He returned a moment later wearing his pajamas and holding hers out to her. "You need these?" he asked tentatively and she opened her eyes, unable to resist the bashful look on his face.

"Too tired," she mumbled and gave him a sleepy smile. She reached out her hand to him and drew him into the bed with her. This time as he curled his body around hers and their fingers entwined she could feel his reaction to being close to her, and at the same time she could feel him bring it under control, now that she knew what to look for, how it felt to sense him building barriers around his thoughts.

She turned in his arms and pouted a little.

"What's wrong, Donna?"

"You are hiding from me." _I'm not sure I approve…_

To illustrate her point she pressed her scantily clothed bottom half against his pajama-clad legs, bringing their bodies together, and then smiled slightly when she felt him reacting to her closeness more strongly now.

He cleared his throat a little and looked down at her. Lifting one gentle hand to her cheek he guided her lips to his in a passionate but all too short kiss that left her wanting more. His chest rumbled with mirth when she protested inside his mind.

_I'm only holding back until you get more sleep, Donna. If you knew how long I have wanted the same thing… but there's no rush, sleep now._

She tucked her head under his chin, pretending to grumble a little, but as long as she could be close to him, could feel his skin on hers, she felt safe, and she was secretly enjoying taking things slowly between them. Or not so secretly, she thought to herself, and heard his answering chuckle in her head. Maybe she should try a little harder at this control business, because if it was either that or pull away from him every time she wanted to keep her thoughts to herself, well, she knew which one she preferred. She placed a kiss on his chest and sighed contentedly.

_Try it?_ he encouraged her, and so she closed her eyes. She visualized the waterfall and let her thoughts rush through her and away and thought only of the deep silent pool, seeing a woman standing beside it, one with her hands open. She could no longer sense the Doctor in her mind and she faltered, opening her eyes and inhaling the scent of him, reassuring her senses of his presence until she felt his strong arms around her, holding her securely.

_Don't be afraid. When you come back, I will still be here._

Donna took a deep breath and let her eyes close once more, hesitating in his mental presence for a few moments more before going back to the pool. It was green, so deeply green, and she could almost smell the mossy dampness in the air. This time she let her thoughts slip over the edge of where the pool ended and the waterfall began, but kept her concentration back in the body of water, staring down into depths of nothingness.

Then gradually, very gradually, she allowed one thought to form deep down in the bottom of the pool. She looked at it, an indistinct shape that no one would recognize except she who had created it. It started to move, started to come closer to the surface, and she allowed it to come closer until she was no longer sure she could hide it under the water, so she sent it over the edge before it could emerge. Then she was alone again and she made herself stay there for a few more suddenly lonely seconds before she decided she had had enough and made her way back to the Doctor.

Except that she didn't know how. She was alone at the pool, and she looked around for him, but there was no one else there. She opened her mouth to speak his name but nothing came out, and when she tried to force it she had that horrible sensation of being trapped in a dream where you try to scream but nothing comes. She gulped down air and fought against the paralyzing fear that threatened to overwhelm her.

And then suddenly he was there with her, strong arms rocking her against his body, soft words reaching her ears finally, strong hands in her hair smoothing it back from her face, lips against her cheek.

_Doctor!_

_Donna, you did it, you shielded yourself, you did it._

_I __**lost**__ you._

_I was right here, Donna, it's okay._

_I couldn't get back to you, Doctor, I…_ Donna choked back a sob as the Doctor cradled her in his arms, murmuring reassurances.

_I know, but I felt your fear, and I came to you, I was never far away, Donna, shhh, it's alright my love._

"It felt like… like that time we were sleeping and we lost contact," she mumbled, almost incoherently against his chest, knowing he would understand even if he didn't make out her words. "Did I fall asleep? It was like a dream."

"Somewhere between asleep and awake, but you did it, Donna, and it will get easier, I promise."

"So you couldn't see… what I thought about, what was in the water?"

He shook his head. "No. Do you want to tell me what it was?"

"Just the first thing that came into my head," she whispered with a small shrug. _It was him._

_Oh._

They held each other tighter until Donna felt her racing heart slow and sleep licking at the edges of her consciousness again. The Doctor drew her closer and sleep claimed her once more.


End file.
